A rescue team was on its way to assist a French round-the-world sailor who triggered his distress beacon near Cape Horn on Tuesday and may have capsized, organisers said.

Police in central China have launched a manhunt for a love-lorn junk collector suspected in the axe murders of eight people, including a two-year-old boy, state media reported.

A cargo ship with 32 Chinese crew aboard evaded an attack by four pirate boats in the piracy-plagued Gulf of Aden, China's state media reported.

Supporters of Thailand's exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra said they would hold rallies to block a summit of south-east Asian nations, but the Government brushed off the threat.

The NT Government has defended the state of its roads after flooding caused the collapse of part of a major highway.

Sheep farmers have been snubbed by another international company joining a global boycott of Australian wool.

The German luxury sport scar maker Porsche has taken over Volkswagen, the biggest European car maker, by purchasing more than 50 per cent of its shares, Porsche announced.

All Russian gas supplies via Ukraine to Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece and Macedonia were halted on Tuesday as a result of the Moscow-Kiev price row, Bulgaria's economy ministry said.

The Wodonga Regional Health Service (WRHS) is planning to include family accommodation in its maternity ward.

A $130,000 accommodation unit has been opened at the Longreach Hospital to provide accommodation for expectant mothers and their families.

The Rural Doctors Association (RDA) of Victoria predicts a number of obstetric services in the state's west will close, as the practice loses favour with younger doctors.

Young women who have lost a pregnancy through abortion or miscarriage have an increased risk for substance abuse, says a study.

A heavily pregnant woman Darwin woman has pleaded guilty to drink driving at more than four times the legal limit, not wearing her seatbelt and driving unlicensed.

A 54-year-old man who was storing cannabis for a friend has been sentenced to six year's jail in the Northern Territory Supreme Court.

There has been a 31 per cent increase in the number of Australians who have donated their organs in the past year.

There has been an almost 50% increase in the number of West Australians who have donated their organs in the past year.

Bougainville's new president, James Tanis, was sworn into office today in front of a crowd of about 3,000 in the city of Arawa.

Papua New Guinea police have sent a strong message to communities harbouring criminals by destroying squatter settlements in Port Moresby after the murder of a prominent businessman earlier this week.

Papua New Guinea's business community has been stunned by the murder of one of the country's most successful businessmen.

Bird strikes have left a Royal Australian Air Force plane stranded in Papua New Guinea.